A Romance of the Deep Sea

Abstract

TO those of our readers who have followed our successive notices of the great work achieved by Dr. Alcock in the exploration of the Indian Seas, for which lie has just been granted a Coronation honour, the present book, dedicated by the author to his shipmates, will be welcome; while to the general public it-ought to be both interesting and instructive, if only by the nature of its contents and its literary style. It is divided into three parts; the first, of fourteen chapters, giving a popular account of the ship and the voyage, and of apparatus and methods employed; the second, of nine chapters, giving a popular account of the deep-sea fauna of the Indian region; the third, in the form of appendices, being a list of dredging stations and depths, and a complete record of the literature of the expedition as thus far published. The Andaman and Arabian Seas, and the Bay of Bengal, were the scene of action; and, in the intervals of dredging and surveying, land parties were daily put ashore to sound and erect survey marks, and were in some cases left there for a month at a time for tide-watching, shore-collecting and other congenial occupations. Among the islands visited were the Andamans (twice), the Laccadives and the Coco set. Cardamum and Minnikoy a special chapter is given.